An XMM-Newton Early-type Galaxy Atlas

Abstract

The distribution of hot interstellar medium in early-type galaxies (ETGs) bears the imprint of the various astrophysical processes it underwent during its evolution. The X-ray observations of these galaxies have identified various structural features related to active galactic nucleus (AGN) and stellar feedback and environmental effects such as merging and sloshing. In our XMM-Newton Galaxy Atlas (NGA) project, we analyze archival observations of 38 ETGs, utilizing the high sensitivity and large field of view of XMM-Newton to construct spatially resolved 2D spectral maps of the hot gas halos. To illustrate our NGA data products in conjunction with the Chandra Galaxy Atlas, we describe two distinct galaxies, NGC 4636 and NGC 1550, in detail. We discuss their evolutionary history with a particular focus on the asymmetric distribution of metal-enriched, low-entropy gas caused by sloshing and AGN-driven uplift. We will release the NGA data products to a dedicated website, from where users can download them to perform further analyses.